Stories
May 14, 2019
Red lipstick.
Bold daring red lips. This.
This was my aspiration for turning 50. I wanted to find the courage to wear red lipstick. You see, this could go one of two ways. Either I would definitely look my age - outdated with red stained teeth smudges. Or, courageously a badass with something bold to say.
When I turned 50 Easter Sunday 2019 I opened a small gift from a sacred sister containing a tube of red courage. It felt like a dare.
Wearing red lipstick demands attention. Ruby red lips are the frame of the vernacular of the heart. Will they speak the same prideful apple-red words of Eden that toppled our existence? Or, would they utter red drops of grace and mercy that flowed from our Savior that fateful Friday?
“For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” Luke 6:45
The power to unite or divide. To inspire or tear down. To champion or to compare.
One of the most important self taught lessons is simply this - when challenged with hard things surround yourself with sacred sisters.
“We need sisters. The world tries to tell us to be strong and independent. And we are. But we can’t do this life alone. We need sisterhood”- Julie, Speaking to Sparrows
But not just sisterhood. We need mentors.
Modern day Desert Mothers.
Women who can be spiritual mothers to many.
Women who possess a ferocious faith. Women who are followers, not just fans, of Jesus.
Women who have done work. The kind of soul work that often leaves us with bloody knuckles from barely scraping along. The work that is required to actually climb the mountain in front of you when you’d much rather bulldoze right through it.
What I love most about these women is that they haven’t bought into the lie that once you’ve done “the work”, you’re done. You’ve won. You’ve somehow arrived. These women are, to me, a reflection of God’s continued pursuit to heal the parts of my story I’ve long long forgotten. Or I’ve chosen to repress. We all need healing. Even those of us who were called to create the space for it, in the first place.
I wonder....if this wasn’t the real reason for His initial invitation to the creation of PLM?
So. To the women who dared to put on their red lipstick and link arms with me - thank you.. There is no greater gift you can give someone then the gift of self. Each one of these women was paramount in helping me realize the bold red lipped courage that lies within each of us. The courage to speak Truth. The Truth of reconciliation and restoration that the world so desperately needs.
Yes and amen.
